Bilingual Education - Bilingual Special Education

Massachusetts Association - Listening, speaking, reading, and writing in social and academic settings in two or more languages.

Bilingual Special Education

DID YOU KNOW?

Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in ESL and English-only immersion settings are more likely to be referred to special education once students are no longer receiving language instruction support, and simultaneously are exposed to more cognitively complex academic content. (Gaston Institute, 2008)

Students of limited English proficiency (LEP) who also have one or more disabilities are LEGALLY REQUIRED to receive BOTH ELL and SPED services. (Gaston Institute, 2008)

An Imperative for Change, Bridging Special and Language Education to Ensure a Free and Appropriate Education in the Least Restrictive Environment for ELLs with Disabilities in Massachusetts, Dr. Maria de Lourdes Serpa, 2011, Gaston Institute

Education Research Brief: Disproportionality: A Look at Special Education and Race in the Commonwealth, September 2008, MA DESE

Office of Civil Rights Questions and Answers on the Rights of Limited-English Proficient Students http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/qa-ell.html

Assessment

Alternative Assessment Techniques to use with

culturally and linguistically diverse students and

culturally and linguistically diverse students with

disabilities

AccELLerate on Assessment

ELLs with Disabilities, Promising Practices

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/accellerate/

Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

Students, A Practical Guide, Robert L. Rhodes,

Salvador Hector Ochoa, and Samuel O. Ortiz,

2005, The Guildford Press

Colorin Colorado WEBCASTS

http://www.colorincolorado.org/webcasts/

English Language Learner with Disabilities

Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan discusses the effective assessment and instruction strategies for ELLs.

Assessment of ELLs

Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce discusses the effective classrooms strategies for assessing English language learners

Resources

English Language Learners With Reading Disabilities: A Review of the Literature, Jane R. Shore & John Sabatini, May 2009, Foundation for a Research Agenda

Struggling Learners and Language Immersion Education, Dr. Tara Fortune, CARLA, http://www.carla.umn.edu/resources.html

Methods for Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners, John J. Hoover, Janette Klingner, Leonard M. Baca, and James M. Patton, 2008, Pearson Education Inc.

Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education, and companion book Case Studies Of Minority Student Placement In Special Education, Beth Harry and Janette Klingner, 2006, Teachers College Press

Dual Language Development and Disorders, A Handbook on Bilingualism and Second Language Learning, F. Genesee, J. Paradis, M. Crago, 2004, Paul Brookes Publishing

Questions Practitioners Are Asking

In some cultures, special education is not dealt with as openly or proactively as in the United States. What recommendations do you have for counseling resistant parents into understanding how special education services may be a viable option? Read more...

Before determining whether a student’s learning difficulties are caused by a lack of language or by a disability, should educators wait a period of time and if so, how long? Read more...

When planning assessments, should assessments be conducted in the ELL’s native language? Read more...